AN: Sam and Dean finally reunite! Thank you to ZeldaIsis and DearHart for their enthusiasm and kind reviews. And another special thanks to my Beta shadowhuntingdauntlessdemigod for just being generally awesome.

Jody felt like she had been travelling for days. Which she had. She had driven across half the country on very little sleep, endured the trip from Hansen to Provo, flown from Provo to Denver and now Denver to Lincoln. At this point, all she wanted to do was get home and get some sleep. She glanced out the window and hoped that the lights she saw in the distance were those of Lincoln. On her right, Leah was fast asleep. The girl had been so excited to be on a plane that Jody would have sworn she was on a sugar high, but the shine had worn off pretty fast. Not that she didn't have a lot of sympathy. In the past 24 hours the girl had been taken from her parents, found out that her brother was being possessed by someone else, gotten passed off to a stranger and now was headed 700 miles away on faith that Jody had her best interests at heart. Leah was remarkably well behaved, but she was still an overtired, stressed-out kid who, before she had fallen asleep, had careened between weepy and whiny.

"It's too bad we'll have to wake her," Sam said quietly over the girl. Sam of course was not a child and had been easy to travel with. At his request, she had bought two books for him at the little airport in Utah. Sam had deftly removed the cover from them both and swapped them. To anyone looking, he was reading an unusually thick copy of a young adult novel. Instead, he was a good third of the way through a biography of Frederick Douglass. Jody was always astonished by Sam's intelligence, but she was also impressed by his patience. They had tried to call Mary before they'd begun their trip only to reach her voicemail. They'd left a message with their expected arrival time, but she understood that Sam was disappointed to not be able to contact anyone at the bunker. On top of that disappointment, he'd had to act like a traumatized child and let Jody take the lead. She knew it went against his nature to play helpless, but it was a necessary deception to get them free.

"Well, we still have about 45 minutes until we land," she whispered back. He went back to his book, but she felt compelled to ask, "Hey, are you doing okay?" Sam had been through an awful lot too over the past few days. Sticking a napkin in the book to mark his page, he stared at the seat back in front of him as he considered his answer.

"I don't know. I really wish I knew what was happening with Dean and everyone, but I'm alive and in one piece. Albeit a smaller piece than I'm used to." He flashed her the echo of a grin, but his eyes were thoughtful. "I'm a little anxious and I have a lot of questions, but mostly I just want to get home. We'll figure it out from there," he finished with a sad shrug. Reaching over the sleeping girl, she gave his wrist a quick squeeze.

"I know. We'll call when we land, okay," she promised. Turning back to the window, she let Sam get back to his book.

xxxxxx

Cas was standing at the bottom of the escalator looking up to where passengers would be arriving. The security guard at the top kept glaring at him, but he was careful to stay behind the designated mark. He took his responsibility to collect Sam, Jody and the little girl they were bringing with them seriously. It was the least he could do for Dean, and he was looking forward to seeing Sam again. If he'd been able to stop Michael, maybe this whole ordeal would never have happened. Cas added that to the balance of guilt he wore like a second coat. After all the Winchesters had done for him, had given him, he could never repay his debt, but he would do what he could, even if it was just shepherding people home from the airport.

A trickle of travellers began to appear and make their way down towards baggage claim. Cas peered through the growing crowd to make sure he didn't miss them. He spotted Jody Mills first. She was holding the hand of a little girl whom Cas assumed was the child named Leah that the Sheriff had mentioned in her voicemail. Just beside Jody was a young boy. He looked nothing like Sam physically, but Cas could see his soul and identified his friend in an instant. The youngest Winchester's soul should be blackened - tattered and scarred by all the terrible things he had endured, but it wasn't. It was beautiful and unique and, even encased in an unfamiliar vessel, was as recognizable and dear to Cas as his own angelic form. Sam spotted him and came running over, stumbling to a stop at his feet.

"Cas, man. It is so good to see you." It was odd to look down at his friend, so Cas crouched to meet his eyes.

"It is good to see you too Sam. I had feared we had lost you." Cas couldn't forget the shock and terror he'd felt when Michael had driven that blade into Sam's chest. Dean's scream of horror and despair still rang in his ears if he let himself think about that moment. A feeling of love washed over him, so he pulled Sam into an embrace. Small arms circled him, and Sam patted his back. Clearing his throat, Cas pulled away. It wasn't the Winchester way to talk about strong emotions, but by becoming part of their family, he had been privileged to witness them on occasion. By this point, Jody and Leah had joined them. The girl looked up at Cas in curiosity, so he reached out to shake her hand.

"Hello, you must be Leah. My name is Castiel." Cautiously she put her tiny hand in his bigger one and shook it briefly, before darting back to partially hide behind Jody's leg.

"Hi Castiel," Jody greeted him warmly, but wearily. "Please tell me you have a car," she moaned, resuming her movement towards the exit.

"Of course, follow me," he said.

xxxxxx

It wasn't Cas' fault. There was an accident on the I-80, and they'd been stuck waiting for the emergency vehicles to clear the road for a good 40 minutes. Jody was cranky, Leah was whiny, and Cas kept apologizing. It was almost more than Sam could bear to be cooped up in this car for much longer. Cas had told them that Jack had partially healed Dean, which was a relief, but Jody's phone had died - the charger wouldn't work in this stupid old car. Sam had taken to counting down the distance to home in his head, a trick he'd done as a child in the backseat of the Impala. Every mile marker brought him closer to Lebanon and his brother. And assuming he was able to get back into his body, tomorrow he was going to go buy Cas and Dean new damn phones.

Like all trips, this one too eventually came to an end. Cas parked and they all sat listening to the engine tick for a moment. Jody sighed.

"Any chance you have a spare bed I could crash in?" she asked before pushing open the door with a creak and climbing out.

"Of course." There were still many unoccupied rooms in the bunker, he could find her one. Arching her back she stretched and turned to get Leah who had crashed again and was snoring softly.

"Wait, I'll get her," offered Cas and she gratefully accepted. Scooping up the girl, Cas led the way to the door of the bunker.

Sam knew he should get out of the car, go inside, and find Dean, but he found himself frozen. What if he was stuck like this? How could he have Dean's back? His brother had already sacrificed so much for him, it wasn't fair that he had to be saddled with Sam as a child for a second time. The nasty little voice that he usually kept locked away whispered deep in his brain. "What if Dean doesn't want to deal with a pathetic little kid for a brother?" Cas was waiting by the door, Leah carefully sheltered in his arms.

"Are you coming Sam?" he called softly.

"Yup, sorry." Climbing out he waited until Cas had gone down the steps. The midnight sky above him was full of stars and he took a fortifying second or two to stare up at them. It would be okay. He had to believe it.

xxxxxx

Mom was reading a book, although Dean noticed she hadn't turned a page in several minutes. Jack had his earbuds in and was watching something on his tablet. Rowena was sitting at the far end, nursing a cup of tea as she made some additions to one of her notebooks. Dean was sitting at the table rolling his beer back and forth by the neck when he heard the door open. They all jumped, and Mom went to greet the arrivals. Dean was suddenly, stupidly nervous. He wiped his hands on his jeans before he pivoted his chair and wheeled his way to the archway of the map room. Bobby hadn't put a ramp here, so he was forced to hang back. Rowena too was hovering somewhere over his shoulder.

Jody came down the curved iron staircase first.

"Mary," she said with a welcoming smile. Mom stepped up and the two women did an awkward dance trying to decide whether to embrace or shake hands. "Ah, screw it," Jody said and spread her arms, gesturing for Mom to come in for a hug. Mom laughed, but Dean was pleased to see she returned the clinch.

"Hello, I'm Jack," the teen said cheerfully when the women had broken apart. Jody gripped his hand and shook it warmly.

"Jack, so nice to meet you and put a face to the name."

"Thank you," Jack responded shyly.

Lastly, Jody spotted him and climbed the steps from the library. If she was surprised to see him sitting in the wheelchair, she hid it well.

"Dean," she cried in delight before bending over to give him a firm hug of his own. "I'm glad to see you're feeling better," she said in his ear.

"Hey Jody, it's good to see you." He hugged her back tightly, even though his eyes strayed back towards the door. "Everything go okay?" he asked. What he really wanted to know was if the kid she'd gone to get was really Sam. Maybe she understood because she smiled up at him as she sat dog-tired on the steps by his feet.

"Yeah Dean, we're all good."

Next down the stairs was Cas. He was carrying a little girl in his arms. The child was small, and really all Dean could see from here was two long braids dangling over Cas' arm. Mom rushed forward.

"Is she hurt?" she asked, peeking at the girl.

"No, Leah is just sleeping, I'm going to put her down on my bed." Stopping to say a quiet word to Jack, and nodding to Dean, Cas made his way through the library just as Sam descended the steps.

The kid Sam was in was scrawny, with fine brown hair and dark eyes. Dean couldn't really see anything of his brother in the boy at first glance. It wasn't until he stopped on the last step.

"Hey, Mom," was all he said, but Dean recognized his brother the way he recognized sunlight or oxygen.

Mom pulled Sam into her arms. It was strange but kind of wonderful to witness something he'd never seen the first time Sam was a kid. Sure, he didn't look exactly the same, but it was still an opportunity for Mom to see her son as a little boy and for Sam to feel the power of a mother's embrace. By the time they broke apart, both Mom and Sam were sniffling a bit. Dean would tease his brother about it later, but right now he just let them enjoy the moment.

"Hi Jack," Sam called to the nephilim who seemed a little shy about coming over.

"Sam is that really you?" he asked in wonder. Sam chuckled.

"Yup, it really is."

Jack just stared at him in amazement. "Um, is it okay if I hug you too?" Jack asked. Sam didn't bother to answer, just wrapped his skinny arms around the kid. It was another odd, but good image. If someone didn't know them, they would think that Jack and Sam were brothers instead of surrogate father and son. It caused a funny pang of bittersweet pain in Dean's heart.

At last, Sam detached from Jack and looked towards Dean. Dean couldn't help himself and he broke into a grin as his brother walked over.

"I don't know Sam, I think you were cuter the last time you were ten," Dean couldn't resist and ruffled Sam's hair.

Sam ducked, but then threw himself at Dean who practically pulled Sammy onto his lap. The little boy felt so small, almost fragile, and he put a hand on the back of the kid's head and folded him closer. It was damn good to have Sam home. Whatever worry he'd had about Sam's size or shape was gone. He had his brother back and that was all that mattered. They held each other for a long time until Sam pulled back. With a sniff he wiped his damp eyes on the sleeve of the weird looking woven shirt he was wearing.

"It's good to be home, Dean" he whispered hoarsely.

Laying a hand on Sam's cheek, he tilted the thin face towards the light to get a better look at the bruises that shadowed his skin. "What did they do to you, Sammy?" he asked. "You look like you lost a fight." There was no real humour in his question, but he decided to not push for answers as he let the boy slide back onto his own feet.

"Yeah, well you don't look in great shape yourself," Sam deflected, eyeing Dean and the wheelchair carefully. The voice was different, but the worry in his brother's tone was so familiar that it almost stole Dean's breath. He kept his hand on the side of Sam's neck and studied him. Sam smiled back.

"Well Samuel, no hug for your dear Auntie Rowena?" the witch mocked from where she was standing behind them. Her words were meant as a wisecrack, but Dean wasn't fooled. He knew that Rowena had a soft spot for Sam. They had both shared trauma at the hands of Lucifer and that was something that bonded them in a way that Dean couldn't completely understand. He expected Sam to banter back, but Sam surprised them all by striding over to the redhead and squeezing her around the middle. She wasn't much taller than Sam was in this form. Her initial shock was reflected on her face, but Dean caught the soft expression that followed and how she brushed a hand over Sam's hair before pushing him away.

"Now, now, enough of that sentimental nonsense, boy." She scolded without any heat. Sam threw his head back and laughed in that easy way that had been denied to him for so long. Mom joined Dean and laid a companionable hand on his shoulder, both just enjoying the sound of laughter.

"Okay," Mom said. "It's late. Everybody's gonna get some sleep and we'll regroup in the morning." With a wave of her arms, she ushered everyone towards the hallway, leading the way for Jody who was practically asleep on her feet. Dean followed a little more slowly, catching up to his brother.

"Rowena's kinda taken over your room for now, but you're welcome to camp with me tonight, or I can ask Mom to fix up one of the spare rooms."

Sam looked grateful. "If it's okay, I'd like to hang out with you for a while. You can fill me in on what I've missed," he said with another small smile.

"Sure Sam. C'mon, I'll even let you borrow one of my t-shirts as a nightgown," Dean teased, wheeling down the hall behind the kid.

AN: Just in case any non-USA people wondered what poor Jody endured. It would be a 3 hour drive from Hansen, Utah to Provo, Utah. Then about a 2 hour flight from Provo to Denver, Colorado, then a layover and another 2 hour flight from Denver, to Lincoln Nebraska, then the drive from Lincoln to the bunker in Lebanon, Kansas would be about 3 hours - more with traffic. 700 miles is about 1,100 km.